Nursing Master's Degree in Informatics - FAQ

Several financial aid opportunities are available to assist you with the cost of earning the MS degree including Federal Title IV financial aid. We encourage you to take advantage of these benefits. Visit our Financial Aid page for complete information on available programs, qualification requirements, costs, and details.

There is a shortage of nurses prepared at the graduate level to assume nursing leadership positions in nursing and healthcare informatics. The extensive knowledge you will acquire in computer science, information science, and nursing science will qualify you to assist with the management and processing of nursing data, information, and knowledge and prepare you for a successful career as a nurse informaticist in a variety of health care settings.

Registered nurses with a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university are eligible to apply for admission. Foreign applicants should visit International Students for contact information.

The cost of the program depends on many factors, including how quickly you progress through the program. In addition to tuition costs, you should plan for costs associated with purchasing textbooks, Internet access and telephone charges. See Costs and Financing for more information.

Up to 16 semester hours of transfer credit can be accepted based on comparability of course content. Course work must be less than five years old and must have a grade of "B" or higher to be transferrable. The Graduate Waiver Committee will review course syllabi from your previous course work after you have been accepted for admission to the program.

The Nursing Informatics specialization in the Master of Science in nursing degree program consists of 37 required credit hours. The curriculum is organized into the following components:

Nursing core courses

Graduate elective

Nursing informatics courses

Informatics Capstone Project

Students are introduced to the master's curriculum by taking graduate nursing core courses. The formats for the online graduate nursing courses are cohort or seminar.

Phase I: Graduate Nursing Core and Graduate Elective

Phase I consists of five nursing core courses totaling 19 credits and a 3-credit graduate elective. All courses are delivered online. The graduate-level nursing core courses provide students with advanced knowledge of the practice of nursing and the health care delivery system. The graduate elective allows students to choose a course from within the master's in nursing program or from another graduate program in an area that meets their interests and needs.

Phase II: Nursing Informatics Courses

Phase II consists of three online nursing informatics courses that total 10 credits and provide students with the knowledge and experience necessary to prepare them for successful careers as nurse infomaticists in a variety of healthcare settings. The nursing informatics courses require synthesis of knowledge and application from the nursing core courses.

Phase III: Informatics Capstone Project

The Informatics Capstone Project is a 5 credit course that includes an informatics project management experience, an online seminar, and a leadership retreat. This culminating experience of the graduate program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply knowledge and competencies acquired throughout the program of study to actual and simulated information technology situations in healthcare. Students are required to complete all Phase I and II courses prior to beginning Phase III. The Capstone requires the completion of paperwork and other preparation several months prior to the course start date. Forms and supporting materials may be found on the Capstone Course Information page (login required).